Award Committee

The Oslo Business for Peace Award Committee works independently of the Foundation when assessing nominated candidates. The decision of the committee members is final. After selecting the Business for Peace Honourees, the committee also selects a primus inter pares among them, who will act as the spokesperson for that year’s Honourees.

The members of the Award Committee are Nobel prize winners in Peace or Economics. It is the goal of the Foundation that the committee over time will be increased to five members. The task of inviting a new member to the Award committee has been given to former Swedish prime minister Göran Persson, former Norwegian prime minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, and the former director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Kristian Berg Harpviken.

To be ethically credible, the recognition should come from outside the business community, and be esteemed as of the highest possible moral and professional authority. A committee of independent individuals recognized globally for their moral and professional contribution to mankind will consider and confer the Oslo Business for Peace Award. Through their work, the committee will identify the leading businesspersons worldwide who spearhead the development of the ethical business case, while creating examples of modern business success.

Members of the Award Committee

Current Members

Leymah Gbowee

Member 2014 – present

Peace Activist and Winner of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize

Leymah Gbowee is executive director of the Women Peace and Security Network Africa

and a founding member and former coordinator of the Women in Peacebuilding

Program/West African Network for Peacebuilding. For the 2013-2014 academic year,

she is a Distinguished Fellow in Social Justice at Barnard College of Columbia University.

Dr Wangari Maathai was the founder of the Green Belt Movement,

a non-profit, grassroots non-governmental organization (NGO)

based in Kenya. Dr. Wangari and the GBM was awarded the Nobel

Peace Prize in 2004 for ”their contribution to sustainable development,

democracy and peace.” Wangari Maathai sadly passed away in 2011.

Her efforts to the benefit of mankind will be long remembered, and

the movement she founded will continue its important work, bringing

hope to the lives of millions. Wangari Maathai’s support for our

foundation has been significant and we will always remain grateful

for her contribution.

About Business for Peace

The vision of the Business for Peace Foundation is that all business leaders have as their purpose to improve society. This requires being ”businessworthy” – in an ethical and responsible way creating value both for business and society.